Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Salt Lake City Police Shoot Autistic Boy, 13, During Outburst At His Home
The Salt Lake Tribune: Salt Lake City Mayor Promises 'Swift' Investigation After Police Officer Shoots 13-Year-Old Boy; Police Issue Statement On ‘Tragic Situation’
Salt Lake City’s mayor is promising a swift and transparent inquiry into the police shooting of a juvenile Friday. According to police, they were called shortly after 10 p.m. to a home near 500 South and Navajo Street, where a boy having a “mental episode … made threats to some folks with a weapon.” The boy ran and police pursued. One officer shot the boy. Police have not identified the person who was shot, but family members said 13-year-old autistic boy Linden Cameron was shot several times, and Salt Lake Mayor Erin Mendenhall referred to him as a “young boy” in a statement she released Sunday. He was listed in serious condition. (Pierce, 9/1)
The Washington Post: Linden Cameron, 13-Year-Old Autistic Boy, Shot By Salt Lake City Police During Mental Crisis
When Golda Barton dialed 911 on Friday, she hoped emergency responders could help hospitalize her 13-year-old son, who has Asperger syndrome and was having a mental crisis. Instead, a Salt Lake City police officer repeatedly shot Linden Cameron after he ran away, leaving the boy in serious condition with injuries to his intestines, bladder, shoulder and ankles. Barton says he was unarmed, and police said they didn’t find a weapon at the scene. (Elfrink, 9/8)
USA Today: Utah Police Shot 13-Year-Old With Autism After Mom Called For Help
Golda Barton told KUTV she called police because her son Linden Cameron, who has Asperger's, was having a mental health episode. Barton, who had just returned to work for the first time in a year, told police her son had "bad separation anxiety" but was unarmed. "I said, he's unarmed, he doesn't have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming," she told the outlet. "He's a kid he's trying to get attention, he doesn't know how to regulate."(Bragg, 9/8)
Slate: Salt Lake City Police Shoot 13-Year-Old With Autism, Won’t Explain Why.
The police have not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting, or made public the police report, or explained generally why the officer shot the child, or said if he or she would be charged or face any disciplinary action. The department said it would release additional details within 10 business days, which is when local ordinances require bodycam footage be released. During a press conference after the incident, Salt Lake City police Sgt. Keith Horrocks seemed to blame the child for the shooting. Horrocks said that police were responding to a call regarding “a violent psych issue involving a juvenile male who had made threats.” He would not clarify who made the call or who was threatened by the 13-year-old, but he did allege that the threat was made with a weapon. (Stahl, 9/8)
